The invention relates to an assembly comprising an inflator and an elongated gas bag in fluid communication therewith, the gas bag being transferable from a space-saving folded condition into a deployed condition by compressed gas made available when required by the inflator.
Such an elongated gas bag is used in particular as a head gas bag in motor vehicles. There are currently two concepts for distributing the compressed gas made available when required by the inflator in the interior of the gas bag. In a first concept a flexible fabric hose having gas exit ports is provided in the interior of the gas bag. The drawback of this configuration is that the walls of the fabric hose lie flatly on top of each other when the gas bag is in its folded condition so that the compressed gas introduced from one side into the fabric hose first needs to expand the fabric hose before it can flow therethrough. This results in an increase in the time needed to deploy the gas bag. The advantage of this configuration is that the gas bag can be folded in practically any way since the fabric hose is not a disturbance thereto. A second concept provides for arranging a deflection-resistant tube, a so-called gas lance, in the interior of the gas bag. This gas lance is provided with gas exit ports through which the compressed gas is able to flow into the interior of the gas bag. The advantage of this configuration is that the gas bag can be deployed very quickly since the flow path in the interior of the gas lance continues to exist even when the gas bag is folded. The drawback of this configuration is that the rigid gas lance is a nuisance to the handling and folding of the gas bag.
The invention provides an assembly of inflator and gas bag which combines the advantages of both concepts as cited. In accordance with the invention it is provided for in an assembly of the aforementioned kind that a flexible, compression-resistant space keeper is provided in the interior of the gas bag which provides a flow path for the compressed gas in the interior of the gas bag whilst at the same time permitting folding of the gas bag. In this way a free flow path exists even when the gas bag is folded, the compressed gas being able to flow into the gas bag through this flow path without detriment.
A preferred embodiment of the invention reads from the sub-claim.